Week 10 Power Rankings & Schedule
Every week we’ll be releasing a “Power Rankings” that aims to provide a fluid picture of how each team across the NCAA is doing at the moment and where we see them heading. The (+) or (-) next to each team relates to how far they rose or fell from the week before.
This year’s Power Rankings are the top 18 teams in the country based on the average individual rankings of four individuals:
Bailey Perez (former Stanford gymnast)
Ben Cooperman (former Penn State gymnast)
Jess Frankl (photographer/CGA Social Media Director)
Max Soifer (former Washington gymnast)
1. Michigan (-)
Michigan’s 414.20 performance against Penn State keeps them in the number one spot this week. The Wolverine’s don’t look to be slowing down, rather they are gaining momentum heading into the postseason which should make them a tough team to compete against.
2. Stanford (-)
After a series of multiple meets each week, Stanford finally had a week off and hold on to their second place spot in the power rankings. Michigan’s triumphant win over Penn State kept the Wolverines ahead of the Cardinal this week, but Stanford will have a chance to make their claim for the number one position when they face off against Cal on Friday, March 26th at home.
3. OU (-)
In their final competition of the regular season, OU stumbled, posting their second lowest score of the season and counting three scores in the 11s. This is very uncharacteristic of Mark Williams’ coached Sooners teams and should not be too big of a concern heading into postseason. Even if this team hits though, they will likely need to rely on mistakes from Michigan and Stanford to have a chance at MPSF and NCAA titles.
4. Nebraska (-)
The Husker’s 406.65 performance wasn’t enough to pass up OU, but their consistent 405-410 scores throughout the season helped them retain their ranking despite losing to Iowa. Nebraska has the next few weeks off and will be looking to fine tune some routines before taking a run for the B1G championship title.
5. Iowa (+2)
A spectacular and emotional performance by the Hawkeyes led Iowa to a half tenth victory over Nebraska and a bump up two spots in the rankings to fifth. This was the final contest for Iowa men’s gymnastics in their home arena as a varsity team, and they put on a show. A similar performance at Big Ten’s will challenge for second in the conference as no one is going to be able to compete with Michigan. Iowa has a week off before heading to Nebraska for their final Big Ten appearance.
6. Ohio State (-1)
Ohio State struggled this past Wednesday in a virtual competition against Michigan, posting their first score below the 400 mark since January 30th. They will have this week off to make final adjustments before Big Ten Championships and get some much needed rest after a heavy early March schedule.
7. Illinois (-1)
After an impressive performance by Iowa and scoring a 393.80 on Monday against Minnesota, the Illini drop one spot in the rankings. Illinois suffered without Hamish Carter in their lineups, but they are going to need a lot more than just Carter if they want to show competitiveness at the B1G championships in a few weeks.
8. Penn State (-)
Penn State’s rather lackluster performance this week in their last regular season contest did nothing to increase their ranking of eight. Michael Jaroh is the main reason the Nittany Lions were able to push ahead of the 400 mark this week as he put up a 5-event average of 13.86. Nick Mock’s 14.15 on pommel horse was also a highlight. If Penn State wants to challenge for a spot near the top of the Big Ten or in finals at NCAA Championships, they will need to put on a much stronger showing than what they did this past weekend.
9. Minnesota (-)
Week 11 kicked off on Monday night as Minnesota finished their regular season against Illinois at home. They lost by a hair and it was not their best performance but they were without Shane Wiskus. The olympic hopeful is expected to return to the lineups for the postseason and could be more than a ten point swing for the Gophers team score.
10. Navy (-)
The Midshipmen haven’t hit the competition floor for several weeks now, but hold the number ten spot. They may face off against Army this Saturday before heading into the ECAC championship, but it is still uncertain given the pandemic stipulations
11. Cal (-)
Cal’s strongest showing of the year put them right on the heels of historically strong Big Ten teams like Illinois and Minnesota, but was not enough to push the 11th ranked Bears into the top ten. Cal could produce some upsets at NCAA Championships if they continue the upward trend that they have exhibited over the past few weeks. JT Okada’s Bears will face off against Stanford in Palo Alto on Friday, March 26th for their final regular season meet.
12. W&M (-)
William & Mary has had an excellent season and head into ECAC Championships where they will likely punch their ticket to NCAA Championships as a team. This is a tremendous feat for this improving team, and even better on the back of the news of their program being reinstated.
13. Air Force (+1)
Air Force’s 377.35 performance was enough to overtake Arizona State, landing them in the number 13 spot. The Falcons continue to struggle with consistency, but will be looking to improve upon this in a few weeks at the MPSF Championship.
14. Arizona State (-1)
A strong and consistent performance from the Sun Devils was not enough to keep ASU ahead of Air Force in the rankings this week, resulting in a drop to the 14th spot this week. Kiwan Watts was back in the lineup after missing the previous meet while at Winter Cup. His return was welcomed as the Sun Devils easily took down the Washington Huskies. ASU is done for the regular season and will finish at the top of the GymACT Standings.
15. Army (-)
Being one of the more active teams this season, there was hope that Army would catch their stride and break into the mid 380s. They have unfortunately been unable to do so and will head into ECAC Championships with one more shot at their ceiling.
16. Springfield (-)
Springfield holds the number 16 spot after a loss to Army this past weekend. They will have the opportunity to redeem themselves at the ECAC Championship April 3rd.
17. Washington (-)
In their first showing this season, Washington took on a strong ASU team and were defeated at home but maintained their 17th spot in the power rankings. The Huskies have one more shot to make a case for themselves before postseason. This weekend, Saturday, March 27th UW will take on SoCal United in a virtual matchup.
18. UIC (-)
It has been a quiet season for UIC with only two meets thus far. There is one more competition scheduled for them in April where they will look to add one more score for 2021 to the books.
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday, March 27
TBD Northern Illinois, Temple (Virtual)
TBD SC United, Washington (Virtual)
1:00 pm Army, Stanford (Virtual)
7:00 pm Air Force, William & Mary (Virtual)